More and more Missiontakers and Actors have realised that while the grey fog is spewing people out like ants from an anthill, but they’re not at all attacking, but merely standing in place, idling.
Well, merely not all of them, because there are still some that are aggressive and hostile, trying to spread their madness on.
Most of the ‘madmen,’ though, stand quietly still, as if they can’t see anyone else nearby.
They slowly walk forward, until they leave the fog’s coverage, and stop.
Like they’re waiting for something.
Mu Jiashi and Shen Yünjü are observing the crowd from afar.
Shen Yünjü can’t help but mention, “if we compare them to the people we meet in Xü Beijin’s Nightmare, they’re far more…” He seems to struggle with an adjective, finally picking “calm?” in the end.
“I believe they don’t seem to understand why they’re here either,” analyses Mu Jiashi, “they must be the difficulty in the Ultimate Nightmare… Or at least, something to watch out for here. They are definitely not part of the recreation of past Earth’s Apocalypse, though… now why is that?”
They thought the Ultimate Nightmare simply recreated everything that happened in the beginning. As long as they, following Xü Beijin’s advice, remained calm and rational, it’ll be fine.
The grey fog threw a wrench into all that.
Then the madmen’s emergence and their inexplicable behaviour is just confusing.
Mu Jiashi mumbles to himself, but still can’t come up with any reasonable explanation for the fog and what these madmen are doing here.
So instead, he tries to think about why the madmen aren’t acting crazy – he comes to the same conclusion as Ding Yi soon enough.
“Because of Xü Beijin?” Wonders the surprised Shen Yünjü, but this seems the most plausible of all possibilities, “I suppose he is helping us all along, then.”
Mu Jiashi then shakes his head and says, “never mind that, even. But now… what are we supposed to do?”
Shen Yünjü replies, “if they aren’t attacking us and just staying there, that’s for the best already, isn’t it?”
“The biggest problem,” Mu Jiashi points to the distance, looking at his fingertips, and says, “you see, the grey fog is still spreading.”
They take some time to retreat, and a few minutes later, the fog has spread to where they just were.
Shen Yünjü asks, “is it better not to touch the fog at all?”
Although he wants to say that that won’t be too difficult, but the people still pouring out from the grey fog, and those that have come before, are all moving where the fog hasn’t covered yet, to stand still.
The remaining open space is diminishing exponentially rapidly.
Shen Yünjü is speechless.
If they simply need to accommodate Missiontakers and Actors who haven’t succumbed, there might be just enough space;
Add the madmen emerging from the grey fog, however, and they’re going to run out very soon.
It’s like there are countless succumbed madmen trying to fill increasingly small areas.
And they have to steer clear of large areas when they retreat, or they might end up infected by the madness they already contain anyway. They have to find more open and flat ground.
Shen Yünjü thinks about it, furrowing his brows, and asks, “how about a human wall?”
Using the vertical space might be the simplest way out.
Mu Jiashi thinks about it, then says, “it might work, but…” he adds ominously, “did you forget about the coming Hellfire?”
This is still the first stage of the Apocalypse here. Many things would happen next, for example, the Raining Hellfire.
They’re suffering the mental stage of the Apocalypse right now, while the physical stage of Raining Hellfire awaits.
And it will certainly decimate any breathing space they still have left in the Ultimate Nightmare.
After the Raining Hellfire, they’ll face the ruins of the post-Apocalypse, completely devastated from the still normal-looking world right here.
Additionally, Mu Jiashi is still worried about something.
He says, “I’ve actually been to a Nightmare once, at a time after the Raining Hellfire… In that Nightmare, we actually felt hunger and thirst.”
Shen Yünjü’s expression turns rather sullen as he asks, “you mean… after the Raining Hellfire, we’d have to look for food and water?”
Mu Jiashi nods, “perhaps we can start searching and preparing first then.”
Shen Yünjü seems hesitant. He sighs, then says, “let’s go then…”
They start looking for food and clean water then, and somewhere safe that seems possible to become a base for long-term stay.
Mu Jiashi quietly maps out where the fog is spreading in his mind. They walk around the place for a while, when Mu Jiashi suddenly says, “the grey fog seems to have this area we’re in… surrounded.”
They’re currently looking for food inside a supermarket, and they probably won’t need to pay, since the staff are nowhere to be seen, save for the puddle of blood next to the cashier.
They quickly grab what food and water they can, which isn’t a lot.
And as soon as they leave the supermarket, Mu Jiashi realises the grey fog has this whole area surrounded.
Shen Yünjü mumbles, “so this area… is all we get?”
It’s a light commercial area close to Qücheng University – less than 3km kind of ‘close.’
The university campus is already swallowed up by the fog, and the thick rolling fog looks like it’ll roll over soon enough.
Mu Jiashi thinks about it then finally says, “no, we have to leave.”
They’ll have to navigate to a correct bearing, through the layers of thick fog – immensely dangerous, because they don’t know what happens if they venture out into the fog.
Near the end of the road they’re standing, though, Shen Yünjü can see the calm madmen approaching – meaning the grey fog is heading this way already.
So he says, “I’ll be scouting.”
Mu Jiashi, surprised, wants to tell him he doesn’t mean for him to do that, but Shen Yünjü appears determined.
“I always feel I’m pretty useless,” Shen Yünjü says, “it’s far more important you’re safe in our group than me.”
Mu Jiashi seems like he isn’t happy with this, but he also isn’t one who’s good at emotional persuasion. He doesn’t know how to dissuade Shen Yünjü.
So he just dryly says, “no, you’re also doing your part.”
Shen Yünjü’s usual poker face breaks into a tiny smile, “now, I’ll be doing another part.”